1. Technical Field
The present invention relates in general to data processing systems and in particular to control mechanisms for graphical user interfaces to data processing systems. Still more particularly, the present invention relates to an intuitive scrolling or window display control mechanism for a graphical user interface.
2. Description of the Related Art
The Internet has become a cultural fixture as a source of both information and entertainment. Many businesses are creating Internet sites as an integral part of their marketing efforts, informing consumers of the products or services offered by the business or providing other information seeking to engender brand loyalty. Many federal, state, and local government agencies are also employing Internet sites for informational purposes, particularly agencies which must interact with virtually all segments of society such as the Internal Revenue Service and secretaries of state. Operating costs may be reduced by providing informational guides and/or searchable databases of public records online.
The largest segment of the consuming public does not currently have access to these resources. Such consumers are typically either unable or unmotivated to acquire both the requisite hardware and software and the necessary computer skills for taking advantage of these resources. There is a need for low cost data processing systems which are simple to operate, allowing users without computer skills the opportunity to access the Internet. This need is being addressed, to some extent, by "WebTV" systems.
In designing a low cost, simple data processing system, however, it is necessary to presume that the target user is unsophisticated and/or inexperienced. Therefore the operation of the data processing system must be both simple and intuitive, requiring little or no technical sophistication on the part of the user. In this regard, it would be advantageous to provide an intuitive mechanism for scrolling or window display control. Some users of these data processing systems will not be aware that more information is available for viewing when the display cannot contain all available information.
Conventionally scroll bars, such as those depicted in FIG. 6, are employed in the graphical user interface of a data processing system. These scroll bars may appear vertically, horizontally, or both. Typically the scroll bars contain arrows at either end for scrolling in the direction of the arrow and a slider for quickly moving the display to a given portion of the total available information.
Computer literate users are familiar with the scroll bar, its significance, and its operation. However, novice or inexperienced users who are utilizing a data processing system simply to access the Internet may have little or no computer knowledge and are unlikely to understand the scroll bar mechanism. Children, in particular, will tend to lack sufficient experience or intuitive capacity to learn to operate the scroll bar mechanism without external assistance.
Unformatted text typically does not require scrolling capacity. However, information available on the Internet consists largely of spatially arranged information, including tables, graphical images, and iconic controls. The spatial arrangement of this information is typically provided using the hypertext markup language (HTML).
It is critical in data processing systems intended for non-computer users or novice users to eliminate the scroll bar and provide the user with a intuitive, meaningful mechanism for controlling the display contents of a graphical user interface in a data processing system. It would be desirable for such a mechanism to both intrinsically inform the user that more information is available for viewing in a particular direction and enable the user to intuitively operate the mechanism.